


Travel is Dangerous

by TopicalAmazon (Animasta)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Time Travel Fix-It, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-03-30 17:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13956243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animasta/pseuds/TopicalAmazon
Summary: All Nagito Komaeda has ever wanted was to see an Ultimate Hope that can beat any Despair... but when he finds himself back in his second year of Hope's Peak Academy after a freak thunderstorm accident, what else can he do but be that Ultimate Hope?





	1. A Dead End To The Ocean's Aroma (happy hardcore mix)

**Author's Note:**

> So, I didn't expect to write any Komahina ever, and certainly not het Komahina... it feels weird. Writing het in general feels weird tbh
> 
> Anyway, a few notes beforehand:
> 
> 1\. Hajime is a transwoman. I've been trying to write one like that for a while, simply because, at least as far as DR2 canon ends, you don't actually know a lot about Hajime pre Izuru. He REALLY loved Hope's Peak and that's about it. They give him a gddamn lobotomy for christ sakes. In this strange, fantasy world where doing weird shit to your brain means you can gain the talent of being really good at swimming or whatever the fuck, I can totally imagine someone being able to suppress trans feels. So in essence, the Hajime in the first chapter HAD the same feels, but they were excised along with everything else, so they are cis now. that's how brains work, right?
> 
> 2\. Komaeda is better, though he's still crazy... Just a little less crazy. I suspect after they hole up on Jabberwock, Future Foundation sends them therapists because jfc they need them. I'm not treating his dementia as actual Frontotemporal dementia, partially because I believe it doesn't truly fit and partially because if it did, it wouldn't actually be very fun to write about (Komaeda gets 24/7 bedside care!). Basically, it's destroying his brain but his sanity isn't going to leave him. Anymore than it already has, that is
> 
> 3\. Some of the events are altered or whatever purely for the sake of laziness/ I didn't ACTUALLY watch DR3. I do take some things from it, and it's generally the same idea, but... yeah. For example, Hajime isn't Izuru yet, despite it being second year.
> 
> 4\. I've plotted it out for 10 chapters, and I might add more, but I'm definitely not sticking to a schedule.

“Wak… Up, Nag… Nagito… Ko...” He hears an ephemeral voice cutting in and out, and he wants it to stop… Such a despairing situation he’s in right now… The voice is insistant, it has a stern quality despite its lack of form. What is this voice? Doesn’t it know he needs to rest? He has… something he needs to do today…

Today…

Today…

“Nagito Komaeda!” The voice rises past his tired ears and he squirms, hiding under the covers. Not that it helps all that much… due to them being on a tropical island, the blanket isn’t really much more than a sheet, and it’s white. He can see clearly out of it, and he can clearly see...

Right.

His boyfriend.

Hajime Hinata was… looking pretty annoyed right now. Not that it was surprising. He wanted them both to be up pretty early, because this was the last, tiny amount of free time they’d have before the surgery.

“Sorry, Hajime-kun.” He slowly threw off the covers and grinned guiltily, “I guess I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Nagito… Come on, we’ve been dating for 2 years. I think you can drop the honorific now.” Hajime’s single red eye was boring into him, though it had far too much emotion to be Izuru’s eye. It’d been a long time since Izuru was around… Probably only a few months after Hajime woke up? At least, as far as he was telling the rest of them, but he was hardly going to hide secrets like that from them NOW. He trusted Hajime with his life, after all...

“Hajime…” His ears burned red at the informal state of address, “It’s… really embarrassing, that trash lik-”

He couldn’t continue before Hajime pulled him out of the bed and steadied him in front of him, glaring into his eyes.

“That trash like… that trash… over there,” He points at nothing, “gets to be in… the room while… I call you Hajime?”

“Great save, Nagito.” He winks at him and his face burns, though for a far different reason…

“Sorry… Hajime.” He tries not to react and continues, “I have a hard time dealing with the fact that someone as amazing as you wants someone like me… I’m not TRYING to be self-deprecating, but that’s what I believe. That I could even be considered YOUR hope is...” He can’t continue, but he hopes he knows what he’s trying to say.

“Nagito, you…” He shakes his head, a smile on his face and a light in his eyes, “I’m not nearly as amazing as you think. I mean, you could make the argument that I’m just an average guy that got altered to be a genius.”

“It’s not that!” Nagito leans into his shoulder and grabs him in a hug, “In fact, your abilities are… they’re trash, compared to you, Hajime. You’re a great leader, you’re compassionate, you work harder than any of us despite the fact that you’re the leader. Even when Hiyoko-chan is putting people down, even when Gundham-kun has a PTSD episode… you just know how to deal with them all and you deal with them so effortlessly that a lot of us forget you’re even doing anything at all.”

“Nagito… you’re really sweet, you know. I wish you’d let other people see you like this.” Hajime’s blushing, and he can feel the heat coming off from his head. He extracts himself from the hug and gives Hajime a kiss, and they stand there for a while before they hear a knock on their cabin door.

“Hajime-kun? Komaeda-kun? Are you guys a-a-awake?” He hears a familiar voice from the door and he sighs.

“Hey, hey, we’ll have time… after.” Hajime winks again and his face floods with heat once again.

After...

\------

“You’re f-feeling okay, right?” Mikan asks him as the boat engine sputters to life, “I-I know it’s pretty scary…”

“Not at all! I’ll have the Ultimate Nurse by my side!” He grins, hoping to calm her down some. She usually isn’t her stuttering self when she’s a nurse, so for her to be nervous now must mean she’s actually worried. He wishes he could tell her not to worry, that even if he dies, it’ll just be him, right? Not anyone important.

However, Hajime asked him to try and keep the self deprecation to the bedroom, so he can’t say anything of the sort.

So instead, “Plus… I’ve already lived long past the doctor’s estimate, so you could argue I’m living on borrowed time anyway. Try not to feel TOO bad if this fails, Mikan-chan.”

“B-But… I like you, Nagito-kun.” She says, twisting her hands nervously, “I-I like all of you, but… but… I don’t think anyone here gets me as much as y-you do.”

She’s gotten far better, because unlike him, her damage is only psychological. Due to the fact that they’re stuck on this island for the foreseeable future, everyone’s bonded way more than they ever did in the simulation. Even if Hiyoko tells her she’s pig barf, she just laughs it off. Of course, Hiyoko mostly says that jokingly now… They’ve actually become decent friends. He even thought there was something between the two of them and Mahiru, but Hajime said he was being silly.

(Though as amazing as Hajime is, he has horrible gaydar; he ACTUALLY thought Nagito was interested in Mikan…)

“Maybe… Have you had any dreams lately?” It’s a common question on the island, between close friends. A couple of them bottled up some memories of them as Ultimate Despair, and it almost ended up going really badly, so the new directive was to say something if someone asked. Even when Akane told them she’d killed one of her siblings, when Teruteru told them about murdering his mom… They were fixing it. They couldn’t go back to the past, but they could get to a future they wanted. They helped save the world, and they were working to make this island chain a place of peace instead of violence. They were really close to finishing the third island… Which would only leave 4th and last island.

The only reason they were going to the third island was because the Hospital was back up and running. They were based out of the hospital when in the Neo World Program, but that was always a temporary thing. It was being powered by a gas generator and they didn’t really like using fossil fuels, so they had to wait until they could connect the power lines to the… some sort of electricity.

Kazuichi told them not to ask, because they didn’t want to know. Hajime only nodded gravely, so he shrugged and let it go.

“Um, no. Well, not anything new… just more, you know, torture.” It’d been years since they woke up, so by now any memories of general torture and murder were… nothing to worry about.

“Worried about the procedure?” He pointed out, and she nodded.

“It’s… it’s possible, I’ve looked it over. It’s genius, really, but it’s going to take a long time. I’m worried about something happening during the procedure… W-W-We could…” She didn’t want to say it, but he only smiled sadly in response.

“Lose me? That’s a nice thing to say, Mikan-chan.”

“N-N-Nagito-kun!” She huffs, irritation seeping out of her ears, “You’re our f-friend, okay! We’d be just as broken up if S-Sonia-san had died, or F-F-Fuyuhiko-kun. Why do you think... we had that p-party for you last night?”

That was true. When Hajime told everyone at breakfast they were planning a procedure to stop the dementia and, hopefully, restore some brain cells, everyone was worried… They all knew of his disease by now, of course, but none of them knew it was as bad as it was. The Lymphoma had been dealt with already, but the dementia proved a hard nut to crack, even for super genius Hajizuru. He’d figured it out a month ago, but Nagito didn’t agree to it until last week… The headaches were getting really bad.

They had a party last night, nominally a ‘good luck’ party but everyone knew it might be the last time they’d ever see him again. Even so, it was a lot less… somber then he’d expected. Hajime had even spent the entire party acting like he did in the simulation (...and the first 4 months of waking up), and it honestly made him laugh. More than anyone else, he felt guilty about what he did in the simulation. He’d destroyed Chiaki Nanami, the AI version anyway, for good. His sentiment, at the time, was… good? Well, good for where his mind was at the time. They didn’t blame him all that much, but he still went off on his own when it was time for her birthday.

Though they didn’t try and look that all that hard.

“Sorry, I know. Don’t tell Hajime?” He smiles angelically, hoping that she wouldn’t rat him out. She gives him a stern glare, but nods and he sighs.

“Tell me what?” He jumps at the sound of the voice and turns around.

“Um, shouldn’t you be… driving the boat?” Mikan points out, face a little worried.

“It’s auto-steering, Kazuichi put that in a couple days ago.” He sighs, “Don’t worry about it, Nagito. I’m not going to spend precious time getting mad at you now. We don’t have a whole lot of time left.”

“Right.” They were but minutes away from the 3rd island dock, and he… he wasn’t worried. He really wasn’t. Not about him, anyway… He just hoped Hajime wouldn’t take it too badly if he died.

He’d have a better chance hoping for Junko’s rotting corpse rising from the grave and petting a kitten, to be honest.

Junko’s hand… He looked down at his prosthetic hand. honestly, he barely remembered what his old hand was like. He couldn’t move Junko’s hand, and that was inconvenient, but the hand that Hajime and Kazuichi-kun spent a lot of time working on was really incredible, and moved fantastically. Kazuichi-kun still worked on it from time to time, though Nagito always had to put his foot down so he didn’t add strange things to it, like a tazer or a cavity for food.

“I do trust you, Hajime.” He says finally, “If you say I’ll be fine, I will be. I firmly believe that.”

“I mean, it’s not me I don’t trust. Or Mikan-chan.” He frowns at the sky, currently blue, “I just… you know how we don’t have a weather station here? I’m just a little worried about a storm blowing through.”

“That sounds a little paranoid, even for me. It’s not even the rainy season.” He points out and Hajime chuckles.

“Maybe. You’re right, it should be fine.” He leans into Nagito’s shoulder and he’s not prepared for it, so he almost falls over and takes Hajime with him. Lucky for him, he stays upright.

Lucky for him…

\------

“Really wish we had those bridges… I swear, we could’ve used a car to drive it all over here.” Hajime grunts as he brings the last of the supplies they’d need for the surgery, “Don’t say it, I know what you’re thinking.”

“T-That you’re a big, whiny c-crybaby?” Mikan is the first to respond and it’s so unlike Mikan that he can’t help but laugh.

“Wow, now I’m getting this from Mikan-chan…” He says sadly, drooping his arms as though they’re 50 pounds, “You know, I always thought he was just making things up… but HAVE you been spending some extra time with Hiyoko-chan?”

“W-W-What!?” Mikan shrieks, and puts her hands over her face in embarrassment, “How did you know!? D-D-Don’t tell anyone, o-okay?” As much as Mikan’s improved, she still doesn’t deal well with secrets. They were planning a surprise party for Hajime on his birthday, but Mikan told him immediately when he asked what she was doing. She wasn’t even helping with the party at the time...

“That’ll teach you to doubt me, Hajime.” He says smugly from the cold, slightly uncomfortable hospital bed, “Why aren’t you coming over to lick my feet?”

“C-Come on, don’t say such things... in front of Mikan-chan.” Hajime glows red and he grins… Hajime really is far too easy to embarrass.

“Anyway…” He switches to his serious side, “I know you don’t want to know the science, so I won’t talk about it, but after this is over… once you wake up, you’ll be bedridden for at least a month, and you’ll have to stay here. Luckily, Future Foundation is coming by in the next few days, and Komaru-chan said she’d be coming over. She wanted to spend time with you, apparently.”

“Komaru-chan is really too nice…” He had wanted to apologize to Komaru Naegi once he woke up from the simulation, but she disregarded it immediately. He hadn’t actually done anything THAT terrible, according to her, and she knew he was dealing with really bad stuff… She was just glad he was okay. She and him had become good friends, though they hadn’t seen each other since he’d left Towa City for Jabberwock Island. Both her and Makoto were fantastic, caring people, even after the apocalypse… he would’ve liked to meet their parents.

“Anyway, Mikan-chan will be here 24/7 for the first couple days, and honestly… probably longer.” He glanced at Mikan, who was purposefully looking away, “if she looks tired, make her get some rest.”

“Got it.”

It’s not until they start preparing the anesthetic, and placed the mask over his mouth, that he remembers his luck. After waking up from the simulation, it honestly hasn’t been a big deal. The work they did, while fulfilling, wasn’t… big. It was a small island chain, after all, and they were only 15 people (most of the time). So any good luck, or bad luck, was appropriately small. Thus, he didn’t think anything of the plan once he heard it, only worried that he’d been placing too much responsibility on Hajime.

But now?

He worried.

His luck was… an awful power. It was incredible, yes, but it had the power to do horrible things. The worst part was, of course, the fact that he couldn’t control it. It just happened to him. He lost his parents and got money… as much as he liked being wealthy, he would’ve liked to continue living with his parents. He was kidnapped and got more money… which he didn’t need, and gave him claustrophobia.

He had dementia, and got into Hope’s Peak Academy… He couldn’t really think of that part as a negative, despite it’s horrible affect on his psyche (and lifespan). He’d met amazing people there, and despite the fact that he still, to this day, didn’t believe he deserved it… he couldn’t, wouldn’t wish them away. In the simulation, he’d confessed to Hajime that he didn’t have anyone, and it was only sad when he was dying… but now, he had people… He had friends, a lover, he could call his own. Was that the lu...ck?

Or… Was it…

“Ha… Me… Sto…” He was fading away, but he needed to warn him… he’d forgotten about his luck… What if something happen… Hajime…

Love…

\------

“HAJIME!” He gasps, fully awake… fully awake?

How…

He should still be groggy from the anesthetic, right?

Wait a minute. His eyes were… closed. He should open them, right?

Wait.

Where… Where is this?

This isn’t the hospital. This isn’t their cabin. This isn’t anywhere on the island.

This was a dorm room. A familiar dorm room.

It was… his?

He recognized it, despite the lack of paraphernalia that signified it was his room. He… It was just a feeling, a comforting feeling. No matter how bad it got, he still remembered feeling welcome inside his dorm room.

Why… Why as he… Wait.

This is… The Hope’s Peak Academy dorms.

These should be destroyed. Well, he knows Makoto is working on rebuilding the academy, but he just started that. There’s no way he’d build the dorms the same exact way, and make one exactly like his.

There’s also no way he should BE there.

He shot up from the bed, head ringing slightly… he looked around, and it was the same room. Things like the door stopper being slightly off, or the paint on one of the corners being a different color than the walls. It was definitely his room.

In fact, now that he looked around fully, he saw his luggage…

Wait a minute…

He ran to the window, and though it was still morning… he was shocked. There was… no possible way. Everything was… normal? The sky was grey, though naturally so; it seems like it’d been raining until fairly recently. There were adults, teenagers and children alike passing by the dorms with umbrellas. The foliage was all fine, the gates were still up. He knew Hope’s Peak had been destroyed… In addition, 77-A boarded up the windows with heavy iron plates.

Was he… in the simulation?

He can’t say it was impossible, though if it was someone was playing a cruel joke on him… He didn’t want to be back here. The site of such a horrible incident, that lead to an even MORE horrifying incident… Despite the fact that he had good memories of this place, his Hope was somewhere else now.

Wait…

How can he check?

He was about to go through his luggage when he heard knocking at his door, and he lunged for the doorknob. If there were other people here, it was possible they were from the island as well… did someone kidnap them and force them back into the pods? He didn’t think it was possible, but he didn’t think what’d happened before was possible too…

“Kazuichi-kun!” He shouts, and he notices right away that he looks as he did in the simulation… wait, now that he thinks about it…

Oh, his hand is there…

“Um… Komaeda-kun? Why did you…” He looks up just as Kazuichi is shaking his head, “Whatever, whatever. Did you get what I asked? I was going to come here last night, but I… got sidetracked.” He chuckles and scratches his cheek awkwardly.

What he asked?

Wait…

“S-Sure, Souda-kun.” He went back to his last name temporarily, hoping that Kazuichi was just playing a prank on him. He pulled out his backpack and found the item he bought for Kazuichi at the beginning of his second year, while he was away on holiday in America. It was some sort of… motherboard, he thinks. He never did find out what this thing was about…

“Sorry, here.” He hands it over and Kazuichi starts drooling, much like he did in his memories. Before he leaves, however, “Wait, Souda-kun… what is that for anyway?” He never asked before, but…

“Oh, this? It’s… uh… for something.” He’s red, and he doesn’t want anyone to know about it. It wasn’t important anyway, so he just waves him away. With his hand that, as of a day ago in his memory, was… twice-removed from the hand he had. First he cut off this hand to implant Junko Enoshima’s hand, and then that hand was removed so he could get a prosthetic made by Kazuichi Souda and Hajime Hinata.

It felt… odd. He wasn’t used to feeling things with two hands…

Just to make sure it wasn’t a dream, he pinched himself… sure enough, it hurt. He clearly wasn’t dreaming. His next idea was that he was in the simulation, though he had no idea WHY. Did he… die? His body, that is? Did they upload his memory data into the simulation? They could do that, right?

It didn’t frighten him nearly as much as it should’ve, but he was still a little worried. If this WAS the simulation, he should have indication that it was… and it was unlikely he’d look like this. This was him as a second year, not a first, so he was slightly different than both his first year form, which they used in the simulation, and his natural form, which was 25 years old.

Was this… some strange form of wish fulfillment? Go back to when he was in Hope’s Peak, and stop the Tragedy? It almost seemed like an even sillier idea, though at least he could SEE Hajime letting him do that. He doesn’t think he would, but he could imagine it.

Then again, if this WAS the Hope’s Peak he remembered…

Class.

\------

Homeroom was starting within 10 minutes, so most of his friends were there. Fuyuhiko was talking lowly with Peko in the corner. Mahiru, Ibuki, and Hiyoko were gossiping about something. Imposter was there, though unlike they were normally, they were pretending to be Ryota Mitarai. And… She was there too.

Chiaki Nanami, The Ultimate Gamer. Chiaki Nanami, Future Foundation A.I. and spy. Chiaki Nanami, victim of Nagito Komaeda and his death wish.

He had only realized as he lay there, staring at the spear, waiting for the rest of them to come back, that he… this wasn’t Hope. This wasn’t Hope at all… This was just him trying to die so that his death would mean something to someone. He didn’t have anyone, after all. Not even Hajime… So he died, knowing his final act was completely meaningless.

Sometimes he wonders if he deserved to wake up.

“N-Nanami-san... “ He’s ignored everyone else and walked straight to her desk, saying her name so slowly that he sounded like a zombie, “You… You’re here…”

“Hey hey, Komaeda-kun.” Unlike most of them, Chiaki was perfectly friendly to him. Well, not perfectly, but she didn’t treat him any different despite his… overwhelming personality. “Yes… Shouldn’t I be here? Class is starting soon.” She didn’t even have to say I think. Mostly because she took a look at the clock in the classroom.

“What did you say to Haj- Hinata-kun in the Funhouse when he tried to get into the Final Dead Room?” He blurted out. Hajime had told him how he came to the conclusion and he hoped he could use that information to flush her out.

However…

“Um… I don’t know what you’re talking about. Wait… Do you know Hinata-san?” She asks, surprise enveloping her face, “I didn’t know you knew him.”

“Hinata...san? Oh, uh… yes.” He nods, realizing he’s already made a mistake and trying to blow past it, “I… I saw you two, once, and I was trying to make a joke.”

“Komaeda-kun, you’re already a joke! Sit down you creep!” Hiyoko said angrily from behind Chiaki’s seat. He held his hands up and went to sit down in his normal seat, and he saw Yukizomi-senpai…

\------

He didn’t pay much attention to the lesson. Not only because he’d gone through it once before… but because studying would’ve actually made his job harder. He was here as the Ultimate Lucky Student, so his job was to not study at all and see how well he could do just guessing. He always thought it was weird… He wonders if Makoto had to do the same thing.

He spent the entire class jotting down ideas in English, knowing that none of his nearby classmates could speak it fluently (Sonia was on the other side of class). It wasn’t written very well, but it was okay to read.

He surmised that this must be some sort of… time travel. It was strange, and very unlikely, but it was the only thing that made sense. There was no reason for him to be the only one that knew of the Final Dead Room or the Funhouse if they were all there, and there was no reason HE was the only one there. He had to believe in Hajime.

The catalyst was probably… a thunderbolt. If it was possible to transport yourself back in time through regular brain surgery, it would’ve been found by now… plus, he didn’t know HOW it worked, but it wasn’t like the procedure they were doing was something crazy. At least, he thought so. As far as he could tell, his luck produced a thundercloud, or brought one here, and had it go straight for the hospital. It shocked him, and… brought him… back to the past?

He certainly wasn’t a scientist, but… it all seemed a bit ridiculous.

Even so… Him being back in the past, at this time no less… it meant something. Maybe this was the good luck. He could stop Junko Enoshima’s awful plan. He’d told Komaru, and he told the group during the first trial, that he longed to see a Strong Hope that could beat any Despair. He joined Ultimate Despair, and helped kill billions of people, for that aim. Yet… after 5 years with the same group of people, spending time with all of them… He wanted nothing more than for them to be safe. Not only his class, but… Makoto’s class too. They actually lost people. Chihiro Fukisaki, the… person who created Alter Ego, as well as helped with the Neo World Program. Sakura Oogami, an amazing martial artist. Sayaka Maizono, a brilliant singer. Mu… Mukuro Ikusaba, a devastating soldier.

He wasn’t sure what to do with her.

Still, he was making a list… Things he needed to do. There were… a few specific problem areas he thought of. Big points that could stop, or at the very least slow down, Junko’s plans. The first step on this list was…

Stopping Hajime from becoming Izuru Kamukura.

It was his second year, so he knew he was getting hounded by the Steering Committee already. Plus, even though he knew Chiaki, she wasn’t… forceful enough to get him to think positively. He knew that from experience. It took both him and Mikan a long time to get used to the idea that people wanted them around (different reasons, of course, but still), and that only happened when people got bad at them self deprecating.

So he would be Hajime’s friend… and hopefully become someone important to him, so that he could tell him that his Hope didn’t have to be found at Hope’s Peak Academy, and his Hope wasn’t becoming a new person. It was being the best Hajime Hinata you could be.

Similarly, befriending Mikan… she was his closest friend in the other timeline.

(timeline… He played a game like this once…)

He did worry about Hajime though. Hajime never had all that many memories from before he became Izuru, and the ones that were there weren’t really… solid. He didn’t think about him much before this whole thing happened, but what if Hajime was a different person entirely? The only thing he knew about him for sure was that he came to Hope’s Peak to gain confidence in himself, and he admired Hope’s Peak more than most people.

The next step, and the one that would probably turn Junko on to his plans was to save the Warriors of Hope. Including Monaca Towa.

Monaca was… just a girl genius who got manipulated by Junko. Someone who’s homelife was really bad, and didn’t have anyone who loved her unconditionally. She was in space, last he checked, but she was apparently working to build a new international space station. According to Nagisa, who was the only one of the Warriors to talk to her with any regularity, she regretted her actions but still disliked humanity… she just didn’t want it to die.

If he could show her, and the rest of the Warriors, that adults could be helpful… He’d be able to remove Junko’s influence and stop the production of the Monokumas. This would be the biggest stopgap measure he could think of. He had thought about going to the police with his information, but… he didn’t trust the police. Not only could he not really explain why he knows what he knows, but it’s not a fool-proof plan.

Not that he was completely sure what to do with the Warriors anyway…

He also wanted to talk with Mukuro Ikusaba. He knows she’s dedicated to her sister, but he’s unsure as to whether she actually believes in everything Junko says… People can do crazy things for love. If he could theoretically save everyone, including Mukuro…

Maybe he could become someone that’s worthy of dating Hajime Hinata… Maybe he could become someone who deserves to have good things happen to them… Become someone who deserves to live past the age of 30…

Maybe…

He could become the Ultimate Hope.

\-------


	2. a selfless love that wants nothing in return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagito talks to people.txt

He doesn’t really know how to just… go up and be Mikan’s friend. He’s never been good at making friends, even when he wasn’t pushing everyone away. But back in the other future, they often talked about Mikan’s love life… Not that there was much to discuss. Mikan had a giant crush on Ibuki for the longest time, though she never said anything… It’s ironic, that he catches her staring at her now. So, trying his best not to freak her out completely, he walks up to her desk without her freaking out.

“Tsumiki-chan, how’s it going?” He asks quietly and she... 

Freaks out completely.

“Waaaah! S-S-S-Sorry Komaeda-Kun, I’m… I’m S-Sorry I wasn’t p-p-p-paying attention, I-I was… I was… staring! At… nothing!” She’s made a fool of herself and everyone who’s in class during break, so she can only sink into her seat with her face burning red.

“It’s no problem! Really, it’s okay.” He holds his hands up, trying to be comforting, “Were… Were you watching Ibuki-chan?”

“N-N-No! I-I’m not a p-p-p-p-p-p-pervert” She’s quieter now, which is a relief, though considering Ibuki has amazing hearing… He glances over and she’s giving him a knowing smile that says she knows what they’re talking about. There’s no way Ibuki would SAY anything, because she’s pretty smart about knowing when to push people, but...

“Ahh, it’s okay, you know… Trash like me wouldn’t dare call you anything bad… You’re amazing, Tsumiki-chan! Not only because you’re the Ultimate Nurse, but dealing with same sex attraction is Japan is difficult… I know that from experience.” He’s still speaking quietly, which is mostly getting drowned out by Nekomaru and Akane, but he’s still a little hesitant to call himself trash.

Hajime’s constant badgering really worked.

“D-Don’t call y-y-yourself t-trash, Komaeda-kun…” She says nervously, biting the cap of a pen, “Wait… A-A-are you…”

“Gay? Mostly.” He couldn’t help but think of Ultimate Despair. The one he hates so much, he’s afraid of seeing her because… he’d rather attack her with a more corporeal weapon than foresight and Hope. The one he loved more than anyone else, because she made him feel special in ways no one had before and made him feel attracted to Despair, “I don’t think it’s a problem, you know?”

“R-Really? M-M-M-My... Um… Y-y-yeah…” She was even more nervous than normal, and he knew she was about to talk about her mother… Who, even while she was Ultimate Despair, she didn’t kill. It was more despairing to leave her alive. That kind of person.

“Hey… are you free to hang out today?” He asks, wincing as his head throbs.

“Um… M-Me?” She points at herself and when he nods, “Um… R-Really?”

“Aha… Maybe it’s a little sad, but I realized recently that I don’t have any friends.” He glances at everyone, deep in their own conversation, “I was… okay, with it, because I didn’t think trash like me deserved to be any of your friends, but… over the summer, I was pretty much forced to change my way of thinking. And I thought you and I were the most similar…”

“O-Oh… I d-d-d-don’t think you’re trash, Komaeda-k-k-k-k-kun.” She stammers out, though she looks slightly determined, “It’s… it’s really sad, you know… T-That you think you’re w-w-w-worse than us…”

“Yeah… and I pushed everyone who tried to be friends away, right? All my talk about Hope and Despair… It’s really lonely to be alone, even if it’s self afflicted.”

“...Yeah.” She agrees with him, “Yeah… I’ll come with you, Komaeda-kun.”

“Thanks.” He gives her a big smile and she smiles back.

\------

“H-Have… Have you ever d-d-d-dated a boy?” Mikan asks as they sit at the small coffee shop he found on the internet… Even though he was well travelled, he rarely left the Hope’s Peak campus to explore the surrounding area in his first time at Hope’s Peak. Of course, the campus now held far worse memories to him. It also held people that… shouldn’t be alive anymore. He needs some sort of peace, somewhere he can get away and just be Nagito Komaeda, high school student.

Not that his headaches was letting him DO that, but that was the idea.

“Ah… that’s a hard question to answer.” It was, though he couldn’t really TELL her the reason; that he dated someone in a future that, hopefully, would never come to pass, “Yes, though it wasn’t really… serious.”

“W-Wow…” Mikan takes a sip of her coffee and adds, “Was it… hard?” It’s only until a few seconds pass that she realizes what she asked. He can’t help but quirk his lips at her unintended innuendo, but...

“Nonononono! Uwaaaaah, I’m so P-p-perverted!” Mikan raises her hands to her face and yells… luckily there’s not a lot of people here but the ones that are can’t help but stare, “I-I should go, s-s-s-sorry Komaeda-kun… I’m really b-b-b-bad…”

“Mikan.” He calls out her name sternly and she freezes, “I… you don’t have to be so worried, you know. I want to be your friend. My feelings aren’t so shallow that one mistake by you would make me hate you. It was funny, more than anything.”

“S-Sorry… Gekkogahara-senpai says that too…” She goes back to the coffee and takes a long sip, hoping to chill out.

“Ah, you see her?” He knew of the Ultimate Therapist, though he hadn’t personally met her before Ultimate Despair… and she died before he could meet her again.

“Yeah… E-Even though she… talks t-t-through that computer program, she’s r-r-really nice…” She says with admiration, “I was a-able to talk to Koizumi-san and… Ibuki-san with her help.”

“That’s fantastic!”

“Y-Yeah… Even though s-she tries to help, I’m not able to b-b-believe what she says all the time.” She frowns deeply, “It’s… hard. I just wish I h-h-h-had someone w-who loved me unconditionally… I d-d-don’t care who t-they are, I don’t even c-c-c-care if they treat me badly...”

“You deserve better than that, Tsumiki-chan!” He knows exactly where this line of thinking leads and he has to keep her off of it, “Would you be happy if one of your friends was it that sort of relationship?”

“No…”

“Well, I’ve always heard the best way to combat those sorts of feelings is to treat yourself like you would treat other people.” It didn’t always work for him, but that’s what the therapist Future Foundation had sent always said, “It would make me sad if you were in that sort of relationship, Tsumiki-chan.”

“W-Well… It’s a m-m-m-moot point anyway…” She chuckles without humor and says, “You… really w-want to be my friend? You’re not… p-pranking me, are you?” Her hesitant, hopeful voice hurts...

“Absolutely! Just from listening to you, and talking to you now, I feel connected to you. Like we understand each other… Though trash like me, feeling the same as the Ultimate Nurse? Maybe I’m overstepping…”

“N-no! If I-I can’t say that, you can’t either!” She points at him menacingly and he smiles.

“Sorry… but isn’t that what I mean? We have to stick together, Mikan-chan.” He uses her name automatically and then freezes, “Ah, sorry for being overfamiliar.”

“I-It’s okay… Nagito-kun.” She burns up but her smile is one… it’s one he has to protect, at all costs.

Junko will not lay her hands on her.

\------

It’s been a week, and he still hasn’t seen Hajime. It’s not like he couldn’t find him easily… all he needs to do is ask Chiaki. Unfortunately, he couldn’t be sure that the Hajime he left will be the same one he finds. Once Hajime finished rescuing everyone from the Neo World Program, some silly comment by Kazuichi made him realize that… he didn’t have very many memories, pre-Izuru. Once everyone learned of that, they all made suggestions to try and help, but he… he rejected them all, and earnestly asked everyone to not tell the Future Foundation.

Mikan, while she was infected with the Despair Disease, said that removing memories was like removing personality. So for someone like Hajime, who doesn’t really have any until he became Izuru… all he has is the group. He does his best, and wants to make sure he keeps doing his best for the rest of them. Once, only once, did he confess to Nagito that he was afraid of what he might learn. It was an odd situation, as the only one who spent any time with Hajime was Chiaki, so none of them could say anything. The only thing he did know was that he lacked self-confidence, but…

What if this Hajime didn’t like him? He didn’t want to presume anything, but… He was a hard person to love. His obsession with Hope, his horrible self-image, his manipulative streak… his general unhealthiness, his sickly pallor. He was more surprised than anyone that his feelings were returned. Was this his bad luck? Allowing Hajime to live as Hajime meant being mere friends?

Still, it wasn’t like he wasn’t busy. He spent a lot of time with Mikan… she wasn’t the same as she was when he was taken away from his time, but she was getting far better in a short amount of time. Give her an inch, and she’ll work super hard to get to the mile. To improve herself, to be someone that He or Mahiru would want to be friends with. He’d even got her to stand up to Hiyoko once… who proceeded to nod encouragingly and go back to her conversation with Mahiru.

He was also avoiding Junko still… Why? He would need to see her eventually… it’s only his strange luck that he hasn’t seen her; he’s seen Mukuro around plenty of times. He’s also gotten confirmation that Mikan hasn’t talked to Junko either, though Mikan was really curious why he kept asking her if she talked to any 1st years. He couldn’t quite remember how everything happened… Not all of it. He really needed to actually watch her, and not avoid her, but…

Maybe after he meets Hajime.

“Nanami-san… is it alright if I join you in the park?” He knew that whenever Nanami was playing her 3DS in the park, Hajime was there as well. He needed to bite the bullet and just see him.

“You want to see Hinata-san, right?” She asks without taking her eyes off the 3DS, “I asked him about you, and he says he’s never met you before… he thinks, anyway.”

“Ah…” He blurted out that question without even thinking about it, and even now, 3 weeks later, she hasn’t forgotten.

“Is it… is it love at first sight?” She asks, looking up slightly.

“No… Hagakure-kun told me my fortune…” He was making this up, but if he paid Hagakure enough money he’d lie for him. Chiaki looked a little suspicious about that, but she didn’t really care. It was after school already, so they packed up their bags and made their way to the park.

There he was… Looking so similar to the Hajime Hinata he knew. The strange hair, the firm build… small, yet muscular arms… Though the look in his eyes was all wrong. It was far more… submissive than he’d ever seen him, and not in a sexy way either. He tended to stare at the ground more than straight ahead of him, and the way he carried himself… he looked like he was constantly uncomfortable.

“Hey hey, Hinata-san.” He had wondered about that… he’d always been Hinata-kun or Hajime-kun to the group. Maybe he was trying to be more formal in such a prestigious school?

“Hey… hey, Chiaki-chan.” He parrots her greeting and gives her a small grin, before turning his head to look at him and wiping the grin away, “Um, I’m sorry… who are you again? Have we… met before?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Nagito Komaeda, the Ultimate Lucky Student for Class 77.” He resists the urge to run over and give him a hug, but he does put his hand out. Hajime grips his hand as well, and they shake, though Hajime released his hand way too soon for his liking… He misses that hand.

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you… My name’s… Hinata. H-H-Hajime Hinata.” He stutters his first name and Nagito is mystified, “I’m… a reserve course student.” He sat down at the edge of the fountain and started digging through his bag.

He knows what he thought of the Reserve Course as a student the first time… he had nothing but contentious thoughts about them. He barely felt like he belonged, but he legitimately had a talent, regardless of how… inconvenient it was. These students were normal people, and thus unworthy of any time, passion or energy. It didn’t occur to him until after that even normal people could become extraordinary through hard work… Komaru Naegi busted down that preconception so thoroughly that he was ashamed he ever thought like that.

“I know that… According to the Ultimate Clairvoyant, I was destined to meet a dashing reserve course student today.” He couldn’t help but try and flirt, but unlike what he expected Hajime winced instead, “Sorry, sorry. Forget I said that...”

He’s so trash, trying to flirt with someone as amazing as Hajime when he first meets him… Who does he think he is?

“Ah, no sorry. If… If it’s a prophecy, how can I possibly disagree?” he looked like he REALLY wanted to, but he wouldn’t… an Ultimate had made that prophecy. He knew that feeling well.

“Hagakure-kun’s prophecies are only correct 30% of the time… I think.” Chiaki points out, turning on the 3DS again, “so you don’t have to worry.”

“Is that so… Okay. S-Sorry, Komaeda-kun.” The formal tone of address burns even more coming from him, but he can’t expect anything more. Asking to be more informal now would be… awkward.

He tries his very best not to be awkward, though it doesn’t always work.

“No problem…” He notices the 3DS in Hajime’s hands, “Ahh, are you two playing a game?” He almost wishes he’d brought along his game console. He hadn’t had one previously, and by the time the world ended there weren’t a whole lot of working ones.

“Yeah, he’s been trying to beat me in Pokemon ever since we got back…” She gives him a slight smirk that looks… odd on her face, and he’s reminded of how the A.I. Chiaki was a little too… incredible, “Not that he’s gotten close.”

“Your team is… it’s too good, Chiaki-chan.” Hajime pouts and turns on the system, “Seriously, my poor Pokemon can’t stand a chance.”

“I tried playing Pokemon once, back in the day… I think I got a bad cart, though, so I stopped and never went back.” He frowns, “They were all weird colors… I liked the original colors better.”

“Wait…” Hajime looks up at him, “Are you saying they were all different colors? Like...” He hurriedly started tapping the stylus and eventually showed him a picture of an purple Lapras, “Kinda like that?

“Yeah, I think. I really liked the regular colors of the Pokemon.” He frowns, “The pink and white ferret was the last straw.”

“Komaeda-kun…” Chiaki’s face is puffed out and she’s angrier than he’s ever seen her, before she sighs and drops her shoulders, “I was going to say that doesn’t make sense… but I guess you ARE the Ultimate Lucky Student.”

“Wait… isn’t that just a lottery?” Hajime clarifies.

“Usually, though I actually AM lucky. Well, some manner of lucky.” He doesn’t want to reveal one of his darker stories off the bat, mostly because Hajime told him that he drove people away when he started throwing dark immediately, “Something like… I accidentally got on the wrong bus going the completely opposite way to a concert I was attending. As it turns out, however, the concert never happened, and I ended up having a nice time home alone. I never DID get to see that band...” He frowns, realizing that he may have a second chance… after.

“Wow, that sounds… if that happens to you a lot, that sounds really annoying to deal with.” Hajime commiserates, though he does have a frown, “Still… having good luck, even if you have to deal with potential bad luck… that sounds nice, to me.” He says that last part so sadly it takes everything he has not to run over and comfort him.

“Hinata-san…” Chiaki herself looks sad and she puts down the console, “Is everything okay at home?”

“Not especially… We just kind of ignore each other at this point, which is probably better than I should’ve hoped for.” He rubs the back of his neck, “though they did demand I get a haircut…” It WAS shorter than he’d ever seen it. Usually it was a shaggy mess, but now it was pretty close to his head… with his Ahoge sticking out even more.

Maybe Hope’s Peak should do a study on those things…

“Um… Have you talked to Chihiro-chan lately?” He didn’t realize Hajime was friends with… them, and he turned red before shaking his head, “She’s been asking about you, you know.”

“Tell her I’m deeply sorry.” He bows quickly, “I just… I don’t know. I’m a little too busy, I guess. With… things.” He wondered if things meant the Izuru Kamukura project, or if this was something else.

“She’s not going to push you… I think. She’s not that kind of person.” She points out.

“I know, I know… I’m bad…”

“That’s not what I meant, Hinata-san… She misses you. She likes you as a person. You and her could just be regular friends.”

“I… Sorry for ignoring you, Komaeda-kun!” He switches out of the previous conversation super quickly, and he can only wave it away with a slightly furrowed brow.

“I’m the one who tagged along with Nanami-san… It’s not a big deal.” He smiles, trying to ignore the headache blaring through his head, and how suspicious Hajime is acting, “So what do you like to do, Hinata-san?”

“Um… I like video games an awful lot, I guess. Nowhere near as good as Chiaki-chan, of course. I’m not bad at school, I guess… I’m pretty good at Science, but I’m awful at English. Language in general, really, though at least I know Japanese.”

“I’m pretty fluent in English, actually. My parents taught me English until they died, and I ended up studying it afterwards. I can help you out, if you want.” He says that so casually, though by the looks on their faces he realizes that he shouldn’t be so callous about such things.

“Wow… Did you like your parents, Komaeda-kun?” Hajime asks, with a sympathetic look on his face, “I don’t… but I don’t know how I would deal if they died…”

“It’s less that I like or dislike my parents, but more… that I just don’t think about it that much? It was years ago.” He shrugs, “They were normal, average parents. For the longest time, I never had much interest in normal, average people.”

“Oh yeah… you said you disliked the Reserve Course last year… I think.” Chiaki mentions softly, “I’m curious about why you’re okay with Hinata-san.”

“I never really thought that normal people could become extraordinary people. I thought you were born with talent, or you weren’t.” Hajime’s face is slightly dark and he wonders if he’s thinking about Izuru, “But I realized, over the summer, that I was completely wrong… That I was just writing off billions of people because of my own unrealistic expectations.”

“Yeah?” Hajime asks with a slight edge to his voice, “I… I don’t think normal people can become extraordinary… If they could, shouldn’t… shouldn’t I have…”

“You’re still in high school, Hinata-san!” He hesitates, but grabs his hand with his hands, “You still have time to become extraordinary… And even if you aren’t…”

“You can still be someone with confidence in themselves, I think.” Chiaki finishes his thought, “I’ve told you this before, but it doesn’t matter if you’re the best at what you do… just that you feel good about doing it. You also have much more freedom than anyone in the main course does… Except Komaeda-kun, I guess.” She yawns and nods.

“What are your plans after graduation, Komaeda-kun?” Hajime’s become more interested in him, and he can’t help but be glad about that.

“I… I don’t have any, yet.” He needs to focus on preventing the Tragedy before doing anything else.

“I wouldn’t be too worried, Komaeda-kun. The only ones I think who do know are Kuzuryuu-kun, Sonia-san and Pekoyama-san.” Chiaki points out agreeably, “I have zero ideas on what I’m going to do… I think.”

“Awww, I thought you and Chihiro-chan were going to make a game together?” Hajime pouts, “I was really looking forward to a game made by the Ultimate Gamer.”

“I’m not the Ultimate Gamemaker, you know.” Chiaki yawns, putting her 3DS back in her bag, “I have ideas, but…”

“Ooh, that sounds intriguing.” It really does… The Ultimate Gamer might not create the Ultimate Game, but someone who knows the ins and outs of various games can only prove interesting, “If there’s anything I can offer, let me know… Money, perhaps?”

“...Money? Are you… rich, Komaeda-kun?” Hajime tilts his head.

“Oh yes, my parents left me quite a fortune that I rarely use.” It doesn’t really matter to him, of course, he’d rather have his parents back at this point, but… he can’t say it won’t prove useful for his plans.

“Hey… you wouldn’t happen to have 2.5 million yen, would you?” Hajime asks, eyes alight.

“Of course! Just say the word, Hinata-san. I won’t even ask.”

“Wait, really!?” He takes a step back as though not expecting that, “I was joking!”

“Oh… Sorry, Hinata-san.”

“Okay, it’s getting late… I think. We should get going.” It was quite dark, and Nagito did like to get plenty of sleep.

“Oh crap! I should’ve been studying… nuts.” Hajime shakes his head, “Um… can I have your number, Komaeda-kun? You’re really… really cool.”

He really hopes the grin he gives them both isn’t creepy.

(he thinks it was…)

\-------

“Heeeey Komaeda-senpai, what are you doing down here?” Ultimate Despair drawls out in a voice he rarely heard her use… her normal fashionesta voice. When they were together as part of Ultimate Despair, she never spoke in her regular voice… her default seemed to be the callous, cold one, that really liked having her hand on her face. She often promised them that she was so bored of her ‘regular’ voice, that if she ever used it again she would kill herself.

“Hi, Enoshima-san.” He’s trying to not let her get to him, but… She’s just sitting there, at a chair. Looking completely healthy. Not having any stab wounds in her stomach, not missing a hand. It feels off. It feels off allowing her to live, when he could just...

“Have you been AVOIDING me, Komaeda-senpai? That’s soooooooooooo meeannnnnnnnnnnn.” She pouts in her kawaii voice and he breaks out of his spell, “Muku-chan, come tell Komaeda-senpai to stop being meeeeeeean.”

Mukuro Ikusaba is only barely paying attention to the exchange, “Junko-chan, I’m almost finished with my book…”

“MUKU-CHAAAAAAAAAN!” She tears up, which leaves Mukuro to sigh and get up.

“Sorry, Komaeda-senpai.” She walks over and gives him a bop on the head with the book. He can only smile wistfully and leave the two… If only Junko could be reformed… If Mukuro could help, maybe they could be two regular (amazing) sisters...

“What do YOU want.” Togami barks at him as he walks up to his desk, also nose deep in a book… though this book is hardcover and has to do with financial… stuff.

“Well… I was actually hoping to spend some time with you.” He ignores Toko Fukawa’s evil eye and continues, “I was hoping to pick your brain about financial investments… I’ve done alright so far, but that’s mostly just been my luck. I figure… you’re the best person to talk to about that, right?” He didn’t LIKE referencing his money, he really didn’t, but Togami wouldn’t give him the time of day if he were poor.

Case in point, he puts down the book and gives him a searching glare, “Fine. I expect a certain amount of seriousness from you… One diatribe about Hope and I’m leaving. Next week, Wednesday, 4:30.”

“Of course! There’s no way I won’t pick up my act when I’m being graced by the Ultimate Affluent Progeny’s company!”

“Ooooh, how BOLD Komaeda-senpai! I thought you liked that other boy… Hinata-san, was it?” Junko crows from her seat and he freezes for a slight moment. He glances up and sees the few people who are there react as well. Aoi also freezes slightly, and Kiyotaka looks affronted. Mukuro also looks slightly off, and Makoto looks… disappointed.

“How dare you, Kouhai! To insinuate that I’d even try with Togami-san! He has better taste than that!” He turns his nose up, semi-jokingly, at her snide attempts of outing him. He doesn’t hide… if anyone asks, he’d tell them straight away. He won’t let anyone insult him based on something so trivial.

There are a great many other things people can insult him about...

“Indeed. I might have to sue you for slander, Enoshima.” Togami doesn’t continue the conversation, but instead goes back to his book, and he takes that to mean the conversation is over.

As he goes to leave, already planning the conversation with Byakuya later, Makoto walks out with him. He’s a little surprised, though it takes a few moments for Makoto to speak.

“Hey, um… You really don’t hide it?” He asks hesitantly, “I heard a few people talk about you like that, but…”

“People dislike me anyway, Naegi-kun. My being gay has nothing to do with anything.” He puts his hands in his coat and laughs humorlessly.

“That’s a shame, you seem cool to me.” He pipes up with, and looks around slightly before continuing, “My… sister came out to me yesterday, as bi. Over the phone, of course. I didn’t have any problem with it, of course… Well, I do, but not because of her…”

“You’re worried about society.” He looks at Makoto’s worried face and sighs, “It’s hard, but… as long as you support her, she’ll never be alone. That’s how I’d feel, anyway.”

“Thanks… I’ve actually really wanted to talk to you before this, actually. Not because of my sister or anything, but… we’re both Lucky, right? Even if you have different luck then me… I’m not the smartest guy, or the coolest, or whatever… I just wanted to know how you dealt with it.”

“It was really difficult.” He thinks back to his first year, and though the memories aren’t very fresh, he does remember the sense of isolation he felt. The way that, looking back, he pushed everyone away by making a clear separation between his talent and everyone else’s. Even the nicest among them would be exhausted listening to his self-deprecating talk. He kept talking that way even though he knew he was dying, and knowing he was lonely…

“I… I used to admire this school with all my heart. No, not admiration… I guess you could call it a selfless love that demands nothing in return.” He always wanted to say that line to more people than Kazuichi and Nekomaru, “But… I think it’s a little too isolating, now. Have you ever met any of the reserve course students?”

“No… and isn’t that silly? I have more in common with them then I do with the ones here.” Makoto says thoughtfully.

“Right? Right? This school places too much of a separation between the best of the best and everyone else. Take… Take Leon Kuwata, for example. He’s the Ultimate Baseball Star, right? But he still needs the rest of his team. The Ultimate Swimming Pro needs competitors who can push her. The Ultimate Team Manager needs… a team to manage. The Ultimate Detective needs a Watson.” He lists the last one, purely to see if he actually has a crush on her yet…

Bingo.

“Well… yeah!” Makoto says, enthused (and blushing a tiny bit), “And… and not coming to this school wouldn’t really DOOM anyone, would it? Fukawa-san would still be a prolific author. Hina-chan would still be breaking records.”

“Yeah… Hey, actually…” He stops, realizing he wants to make sure something important happens, “I wonder, do you think your sister would like to come to the Reserve Course?”

Komaru Naegi was honestly one of his best friends. They spoke all the time over the phone, even though they never got to see each other… and as such, he wanted to do her a favor. He wanted to see if she’d get together with Toko Fukawa again… He didn’t really like Toko, and the feeling was mutual, but she was definitely more tolerable around Komaru. Plus, he did wonder what Komaru was like when she wasn’t trapped in a hell city surrounded by bodies...

“Hmm… I’d love it, of course. I really miss her, even though we talk on the phone every day.” He sighs wistfully, “I think she’d like it too… why?”

“I have a meeting with Kirigiri-san.” He doesn’t yet, but he does plan to make one, “He’ll owe me a favor after… Maybe, if she wants it, I could get your sister in with a cheaper tuition?”

“Oh… that’d be awesome! Let me go call her!” Makoto gives him a hug and jogs away, and he can’t help but sigh.

Kyoko is a lucky girl…

\------

It’s not until the end of November that he can get in to see Jin Kirigiri, and it’s been going… relatively smoothly. He was hoping to hang out with Hajime… Hinata more, but he was pretty busy with studying. They do text quite a lot, though it’s mostly Hajime asking him questions about English, and he’s learning quite a lot about a brand new Hajime he’s never known. They’re actually more similar than he realized, though since this one ACTUALLY has interests and hobbies, those things have certainly influenced his personality. Also, he’s still curious about the conversation they had about Chihiro Fujisaki.

He’s met with Byakuya a few times, nominally about finance but they’ve started developing… camaraderie, if not an actual friendship. He’s not the Byakuya who’s more caring, who’s okay with interacting with the common folk, but he’s not bad. He’s just a little… he’s just really blunt, and callous. He does feel a little bad about the way he’s manipulating some of these people, but it’s for the best. Everyone being alive is worth a little manipulation.

Actually, he can’t remember having this much fun… ever. Not even on the island. Mostly because there was always the spectre of Despair hanging around everyone. One look at his robotic hand, or Fuyuhiko’s eyepatch. One day, it might be Gundham’s mom’s birthday and he’s jumpy and quick to anger all day… Here, the only one who has that knowledge is him, and just the simple fact that they’re all alive means he can easily compartmentalize. He can just have tea with Mikan, and have that be that. He can talk to Byakuya about Towa City, and have that be that.

If only the headaches would go away…

“Hello, Komaeda-san.” Jin Kirigiri says from behind his desk, which might paint a foreboding picture if his face wasn’t painted with a kind smile, “What may I help you with?”

That answer was two fold. He wanted to know how much Kirigiri knew of the various dirt Hope’s Peak was involved with. Kyoko, from the other timeline, said it was very little, but she may have been trying to protect her father. It was unlikely he had zero idea what was going on… But if had to guess, he wasn’t the main perpetrator.

Secondly… He wanted to use Kirigiri. He didn’t trust in a whole lot of adults, even though he was technically an adult himself, brain-wise. However, Kirigiri did treat him better than a majority of his own classmates at times, and he did trust Kyoko Kirigiri, who loved her father despite the fact that he was imperfect. There were things he needed an adult for, especially since he didn’t want to involve the police until he needed to.

“I just had… a few questions about the academy, that I felt you would answer the best.” He’s trying to be as vague as possible for as long as he can, because he wants to be sure that Kirigiri is someone to trust.

“Ask away.” He says, sitting primly behind the desk.

“Well… I was always curious on why you would allow me, and Makoto Naegi, to join the school… We’re just lucky, you know? Surely compared to someone like Togami-san, or Nidai-kun…” Though now he felt like he deserved to be at the school, he certainly didn’t THEN. He only really feels that way because he has the chance to save people… Not because he thinks his talent is relevant to anything.

“That’s nonsense.” He waves those words away quickly, “Do you know how phenomenally lucky we are to exist? For us to be at the exact right distance away from the sun? For us to have the Moon, which helped kickstart evolution? That humanity didn’t become extinct at the end of the ice age? It’s… incredible, how lucky we are. Some might see such strange coincidences as God, but I see them as simply luck. Luck is vital to who we are.”

“I’ve never thought of that before…” He’s a little shocked that someone else believes in Luck so thoroughly, and actually has a positive view of it. 

“I’ve had people trying to get rid of it, but… The fact that you joined us, Nagito Komaeda, someone who’s luck has caused them unimaginable pain and incredible happiness, has made it all worth it. I firmly believe in your talent, with all of my heart.” He nods, and starts clicking a mechanical pencil, and Nagito almost feels… feels like crying.

“T-Thank you… That means a lot to me.” He shakes his head to keep his cool and continues, “I was curious how you feel about the Reserve Course. I was discuss this with Naegi-kun a while back, and considering that if we weren’t selected by that lottery, we’d be there. What is the true purpose of the Reserve Course?”

“Well… between you and me, it was created purely to improve our revenue streams.”

“Ah, well, that may be true… but don’t you think the Main Course students might become a little too isolated if they’re not there? I mean… what is Mondo Oowada without his gang? What is Nekomaru Nidai without a team? Don’t you think we should integrate with the Reserve Course a bit more?

“Oh… are you talking about some sort of, ivory tower situation? I can’t say it doesn’t worry me.” He leans back in his chair, crossing his fingers and frowning, “I’ve been thinking about proposing more crossover between the students, and it would help very much if I could get the input, and public consent, of someone who is a Main Course student.”

“I would be honored…” He trails off… it may be too soon, but his heart is telling him he can trust this man. If only a little bit… so he hesitates before saying, “Do… Is this room safe? Is there anyone… listening?”

Kirigiri tilts his head before furrowing his brows, “I wouldn’t think so… but I guess I don’t know for sure.”

“Maybe it would be best to write things down…” He pulls out a notebook from his backpack and turns to a page, Kirigiri giving him a strange look while he turns to a blank page.

“Sorry… I have some dirt on Hope’s Peak that might cause certain people to push for my expulsion…” He writes and hands back.

“It’s no problem. What do you feel okay telling me?”

“What do you know of the Izuru Kamukura project?”

Once he hands the notebook back to Kirigiri, he visibly balks and clearly wants to start talking to him normally. He’s actually a little frightened at the color of his face. Fortunately, he still sees the value in not actually speaking and starts writing, this time in a more frenzied manner.

“How do you know of the project? Who told you? How much do you know?”

“I can’t tell you that. I can’t tell you that. I know pretty much everything, though I’m still unsure as to the specifics.”

“...This is what you mean? You’re worried that I’m part of the project and will push for your expulsion?”

“Actually, not you… I trust your daughter enough to know that she wouldn’t associate with a man involved in such a project.”

“...Maybe she’s a little TOO trusting…”

“So you are?”

“Not… I’m not the one pushing for it. I know of it, and I’ve been consulted on it. I don’t wholly agree with it, though speaking as an admirer of talent, I can’t help but be excited by the possibilities.”

“Do you… really think human brains can hold that much information?”

“...I’m not a brain scientist.”

“That’s dodging my question, sir.”

“...No.”

“So you continue to involve yourself in the project, knowing it might lead to one of your students dying?”

“I’m… It’s not like I’m the one calling the shots around here.”

“The Steering Committee, right?”

“How much DO you know?”

“More than you’d feel comfortable with.”

“Do you… have any proof?”

“None at all. I could find some if you’re interested.”

“No, that won’t be necessary… I suppose you’d say it was your luck that you stumbled into them, right?”

“...You might say that.”

“We… we’ve been working on a certain student. He seems like a perfect candidate… but… we still have to get his consent. We thought we’d get it fairly soon in the beginning of the school year, but…”

“Hajime Hinata, sir?”

“Did… Was he the one to tell you?”

“Of course not, we’ve only become friends recently.”

“I… okay. The Steering Committee is committed to using this boy, but if he won’t agree, it’ll take time to groom one of the other candidates. Once that happens, I can start pushing against them… I’d rather lose my job than be responsible for someone’s death.”

“Thank you… Thank you, sir.”

“Was there… anything else?”

“Not at the moment, though… there may be more later. Can I count on you?”

“I… I hope so.”

That’s hardly something to inspire confidence, though he does believe Jin Kirigiri can be considered an ally. However, there WAS the other matter he needed to check…

“Actually, can I have the first three days of December off? I need to check on something.” He speaks the request aloud and it sounds a little loud to him, even though it’s his regular voice.

“Is this… does this have something to do with…” He points to the notebook.

“Not directly, though… it does have to do with Hope’s Peak Elementary.” He says simply, and Kirigiri only nods, “Thanks. If you need me, I’ll be in Towa City.”

\-------


	3. Monaca, the Ultimate Roboticist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After this, Nagito won't be able to hide from Junko for long... This is the first barrage. Monaca will be his mortar.

Hinata: Hey Komaeda-kun, are you okay? Chiaki-chan told me you hadn’t been in class all week.

Hopemaeda: Hello, Hinata-san!

Hopemaeda: Did I not tell you? I don’t actually think I told anyone, now that I think of it…

Hopemaeda: I’m in Towa City!

Hinata: Really??? I’ve heard that place is pretty amazing.

Hopemaeda: it really is! A modern marvel of engineering and city building.

Hinata: Why did you skip class to go?

Hopemaeda: I’m visiting family, I guess.

Hinata: I thought you didn’t have

Hinata: Omg I’m sorry, that was so insensitive

Hopemaeda: It’s not actual family, so don’t worry!

Hopemaeda: Besides, actual family doesn’t have to mean anything.

Hopemaeda: Humans can find Hope in anyone! 

Hinata: …

Hinata: You really like Hope, huh

Hopemaeda: Ah, sorry. I try very hard not to speak like that, but sometimes it slips out.

Hinata: It’s not something bad! I’m just… you came to Hope’s Peak, because you wanted to see Hope, right?

Hopemaeda: That was why I entered.

Hinata: Do you, um, what does Hope mean to you?

Hopemaeda: Everything!

Hopemaeda: Maybe that’s not a great answer, but I cannot answer it any other way. Hope is beautiful, Hope is kind, Hope is loving, Hope is life. Hope is Humanity at its most beautiful. Hope is the antithesis of Despair, which itself is Humanity at its worst and most depraved.

Hinata: What if you could create it?

Hopemaeda: I, I don’t get your question, Hinata-san.

Hinata:

Hinata: I mean… don’t you think everyone’s talents are Hope? You yearn to see them use their talents to better society, right?

Hopemaeda: I agree with that.

Hinata: What… What if...

Hinata: ...

Hinata: You could create Hope… Create talent...

Hinata: You could give a normal, talentless student the abilities of, like, 40 Ultimates. Wouldn’t… Wouldn’t that person technically be considered Ultimate Hope? Wouldn't that be a person worth admiring?

Hopemaeda: ...That’s not hope. What do you think would happen to that normal student?

Hopemaeda: I don’t think the human brain could handle all that talent… Hinata-san.

Hinata: Ahahahhaa maybe

Hinata: Sorry, just rambling…

Hopemaeda: Are you sure?

Hinata: Yeah sorry

Hinata: I was just… I just miss you, I guess.

Hinata: I know we haven’t talked a lot but

Hinata: I… felt like we connected

Hinata: Maybe that’s stupid

Hopemaeda: Don’t be ashamed of yourself! I find myself thinking of you all the time. I feel that connection, Hinata-san, I really do.

Hopemaeda: See? You may think of yourself as a normal, talentless high school student, but you’ve already wormed your way into my brain! Almost like a yeerk.

Hinata: What… What’s a yeerk?

Hopemaeda: Well, I read this book series when I was 8...

\------

He’d never actually seen Towa City, pre-despair. Even though the endless wars barely touched the area, the polluted air did. The polluted sea did. The Despair came in with the pollution, but unlike the air purifier than they created, the Despair wasn’t so easily purified. So he was sort of looking forward to it, but he was surprised at how… beautiful it was. The different parts of the city were all different, and if it were done poorly, it would’ve been an awful eyesore… but the asymmetry of the place was quite beautiful.

Towa Hills, Towa Tower… both buildings so opulent, so brash, that it wasn’t surprising they were both the two most important buildings to Towa Group. Towa Tower was his favorite… the twisting design was incredible.

Of course, if he couldn’t get a meeting with Monaca the only thing he could do on this trip was admire the architecture. He knew where the school was, of course, but he didn’t think a skinny, white-haired teenager creeping near a school would be a great idea. Neither would following any of the Warriors directly… So instead of trying to think of something now, he decided to go into a convenience store to buy some tea.

“Let. Me. GO!” A very familiar voice shouts angrily, “I need this! I have… I have the money!”

“You’re barely 10, aren’t ya? Hardly old enough to be drinkin’.” The proprietor says calmly, holding onto a 6 pack of beer in one hand and the skinny arm of Masaru Daimon, Hero of the Warriors of Hope, in the other… He didn’t watch the battles between Komaru and the Warriors, he felt confident enough in Komaru not to need it, but the Masaru he saw here had to have been similar to the one Komaru saw before her battle.

Broken… beaten. Scared of his father, yes, but scared of all adults…

“Hey, let him go.” He makes the decision and walks up to him, “Come on, was he trying to steal it?”

“Well, yes. After I told ‘im I couldn’t sell to ‘im, he tried runnin’ off with it.” The owner says, placing the beer on the counter, “I was jus’ about to call the police…”

“That won’t be necessary, right? It was only one time.” Hopefully it was…

“Well, I suppose.” The man let go of Masaru’s hand and he started rubbing it, wincing, “Sorry for bein’ a lil rough, kiddo, but… Shouldn’t be stealin’, alright? Shouldn’ be drinkin either.”

“They’re… not for me…” He grumbles, though he turns to him and gives him a suspicious glare, “I didn’t need YOUR help either.”

“Well, no…” He holds the door open and Masaru leaves first, “Better than you getting involved with the police, right?”

“I still don’t have… He’ll be…” He says, slightly fearful. He does wait for Nagito to leave, however, and they start walking along the sidewalk.

“”Your father was making you buy beer for him, right?” He supplies and Masaru slows down beside him, “I’m not quite old enough either, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Wait… how did you…”

“I… I have business with you, Masaru Daimon.” He turns to the boy and sees his tense demeanor, “Well, I suppose you could say I have business with all of your friends. Nagisa Shingetsu, Kotoko Utsugi, Jataro Kemuri… Monaca Towa.”

“W-What!?” He turns his head and squints, “You… What do you mean?”

“I wish I could say I was doing this altruistically… In truth, I’m doing this for my own selfish desires.” He shrugs, hoping to speak without obvious lies, “I am interested in saving you and your friends, but I do need to speak with Monaca before I can do that.”

“Wait… S-Save? Like…” He’s clearly been untainted by Junko, which as far as he knows, is fairly accurate; they haven’t met yet. As long as they haven’t gotten to the part where they tried to commit group suicide, then the only one to have met Junko should be Monaca.

“Yes, I have a place that you 5 can stay at… I won’t be there, of course.” He didn’t actually have a place, but he figured he could always buy one if Jin Kirigiri or Byakuya Togami couldn’t come through.

“Really? Really???” The boy was clearly excited, though the excitement was tempered somewhat by, “Wait… you need to meet with Monaca, right? She’s busy all day today. Working on some new… thing, I don’t know.”

“Can you get in contact with her now?” He wonders if Monaca will come if he reveals a small amount of knowledge.

 

“Yes, but only via texts.”

“Tell her… Nagito Komaeda wants to talk to her about Monokuma.” They should be in the design phase by this point, there’s no way they pumped everything out so quickly AFTER the tragedy started.

“Um… okay.” Masaru slowly types out the words.

“Even if my meeting goes poorly, I still want to do something about you all… though I don’t know if I can take Monaca.”

“I-I-I don’t want to leave her, s-she’s important… to m- US.” Masaru burns red and he laughs. He forgot how much they all loved Monaca, even before Junko came into the picture.

“It should be fine, but I can’t really help you unless you agree to leave the city. I have no interest in going to the police.” He knows they’ll be involved eventually, but…

“Wait, does that mean you’re gonna… kidnap us? I mean…” He stops and realizes they’re on a public street and says, “Hold on, let’s go to the park.”

They didn’t make it there before he got a message on his phone. He read it, and gave it to Nagito to read.

‘Fine. Mr. Komaeda, I’m free in 20 minutes. Meet me at my office in Towa Hills.’

“Ahhh, I think I have to go…” He pulls out his wallet and gives Masaru some bills, “This should be enough to prevent your father from… doing anything to you.”

“R-Really? This is a lot of money, Komaeda-san…” He didn’t count everything but he did have plenty of money in his wallet for this sort of scenario.

“Don’t worry.”

\------

“Hello, Mr. Komaeda.” Monaca is sitting behind a desk, on her computerized wheelchair… there’s also a very early prototype for a Monokuma, which doesn’t have the stereotypical white/black design. It’s also only a skeleton.

It looks… horrifying.

“Hello, Miss Monaca.” He bows lightly and sits in the chair opposite of her. Monaca’s staring at him with a calculating look in her eye, and he knows this’ll be harder than anything he’s done up till now.

“Mr. Komaeda, you go to Hope’s Peak Academy, right? Do you work with Big Sis Junko!?” She asks excitedly… though with a bored expression, already knowing the answer.

“No.”

“Ahh. Do you mean to cause her harm, Mr. Komaeda?” She gives him a slight smile, though it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“My goal, right now, is to save you 5 from your horrible parents.” He says earnestly.

“Hmm, Monaca thinks you do mean to cause her harm… You didn’t dodge the question very skillfully, Mr. Komaeda. Still, though, Monaca will listen to you.” She’s not treating him with much respect, almost waiting for him to get to the good stuff.

“Well… I have contacts. Do you know of the Togami Corporation? The heir is a friend of mine,” friend may be too strong of a word, “When I told him about your vast intellect, he was intrigued.”

“That’s all adults want from Monaca, isn’t it?” She giggles humorlessly, “They either want some cute little angel who can do nothing wrong to show off to other adults, or something that can be useful to them… like Monaca. Or poor Kotoko-chan.”

“I’m not going to treat you like a child, Miss Monaca. I have no interest in doing so.” He would never do anything of the sort. She’s far too special to treat as a mere child.

“Oh?”

“You’re already wondering how I know your parent hates you. You want to know how I know that your brother thinks you’re an… alien, is it?” He can tell he’s got a hit by the way she blinks after that, “They totally believed you’re paralyzed… why? Because they did something that could cause a young girl to be paralyzed from the waist down.” 

“Hmm… Hmm…” She stares at him, tapping her finger on her chin, “You know more than you should, Mr. Komaeda, but that makes you really really interesting! Monaca actually was paralyzed, from the waist down, for a week. Monaca persuaded the doctor to keep me paraplegic.” She grins cheerfully, though the effect is tempered somewhat by the cold look in her eyes.

“Why should anyone treat you as a mere child? I don’t mean to suggest you don’t deserve love and affection… but it SHOULD be on your terms.” He nods his head firmly, “You’re… You’re an Ultimate, and one of the more amazing Ultimates I’ve ever known.”

“How do you know of Monaca, Mr. Komaeeeeeda?”

“Do you need to know?” He’s aware that she might be the first person to share parts of his secret to, but he’s not looking forward to it… only if absolutely necessary. He’s hoping he can use his luck to grease the conversation… He recalls that happening in a book he read once.

“You come here, Mr. Komaeda, having met Masaru Daimon and gotten him to trust you enough to get him to contact me for you. You come here from Hope’s Peak, which is the same school Big Sis Junko is in, and you clearly detest her… Monaca can read minds, you know. You come here knowing information that you shouldn’t, and no one knows you’re even here. Not even Big Sis Junko. You’ve repeated something I wrote in my diary. You’re extremely suspicious, Mr. Komaeda. You can’t not realize that. You’re opposed to someone Monaca loves, and would do anything for.” She’s glaring at him coldly, though she doesn’t seem to be interested in sending him away as of yet.

“She doesn’t love you, though. She loves nothing but Despair. She’ll kill her own sister for it, if she gets the chance.”

“Oh? And you know this because…” She’s trying to get him to admit it, but he must stay strong. If he can’t fully convince her, and she tells Junko about his presence… there’s every reason to be fearful for his life.

“It’s easy enough to guess, right? Junko is Ultimate Despair… More than that, she loves it. She breathes it with every breath. She bathes in it, she kills with it. Anyone she claims to love will only fuel her despair that much more. In fact, it might be easier to be someone Junko dislikes. At least then you’d live longer in her Despair Utopia.”

“No, that’s WRONG.” Monaca refutes, face twisted in anger, “Big Sis Junko loves Monaca more than anyone else in the world! She told her herself!”

“She’s good at manipulating people. Even a trash person like myself was deemed important enough for Junko to manipulate me.” It didn’t happen in this timeline, but he still remembers how she made him feel so special, and so amazing… it was one of the best things he’s ever felt. Someone as incredible, as amazing as Junko Enoshima making YOU feel special is indescribable.

“Monaca is NOT trash, Mr. Komaeda! Monaca is important!” She’s acting like a child now, and it’s something he wasn’t really prepared for… he thought she was a little more logical than that.

“I didn’t say otherwise, Miss Monaca. In fact, I think you’re MORE special than Junko Enoshima. You have the power to change the world, for good or evil… Junko is too short-sighted, and too selfish. Just look at your Monokuma…” He turns to the skeleton Monokuma, “To build something like THIS at the age of 10…”

“Oh, you like Mr. Monokuma? Big Sis Junko gave me the design, of course, but… I did design it.” She says, somewhat proudly, “You really think I’m that special? More special than Big Sis?”

“Absolutely.” He does believe that. Junko is a ideologue, and a really good one, but… Monaca is a genius.

“Hmm… I think I know what you’re trying to do, Mr. Komaeda.” She turns to the Monokuma and hovers over a button, “You’re trying to get rid of the only person who loves me… Monaca doesn’t care that she might be just another manipulative adult. She loves me, that’s all that matters.”

“So you won’t listen to me.” He’d been hoping otherwise, but… he didn’t tell her all that much, so hopefully Junko won’t be able to retaliate too much. 

He’s also hoping she won’t sick the Monokuma on him...

“Nope! Monaca can’t help but respect you though.” She throws the remote away and smiles cruelly, “If someone as pathetic as you can beat Junko, no matter how much knowledge you seem to have, then she doesn’t deserve Monaca’s love… Monaca won’t tell her what you’re doing.”

“Thank yo-”

His brain bursts

\------

He wakes up, still in the office… what happened? Monaca hasn’t moved, though she is watching him with a curious look in her eye… Was that something to do with his headache? As soon as she sees him stand back up, she goes back to writing something on a laptop.

“Hmm… if you were trying to make Monaca sympathize with you, or get me to pity you, you picked a bad time for it. You didn’t do that on purpose, did you?.” She says off-handedly, her fingers moving quickly on the laptop, “Tell Monaca… what’s wrong with you, Mr. Komaeda.”

“Ah… I have dementia. The doctors, at the beginning of my first year at Hope’s Peak, told me I have 12 months to live.” He finally realizes that that estimate may be more accurate now than it was in the other timeline, “It’s eating away at my brain until I’m… well, dead.”

“Hmm… and yet you spend your time trying to fight against Big Sis Junko and her Ultimate Despair? Monaca doesn’t believe anyone would be that altruistic...” She says firmly, “Monaca knows plenty about you, Mr. Komaeda. I’ve just been reading your first year reports from Ms. Yukizome… you creep her out, with all your diatribes about Hope. You don’t seem to have any friends, either.”

“I don’t mind. Trash doesn’t deserve to be remembered for long.” As long as he has people by his side, he doesn’t mind dying. Not really. It’d be nice to live a nice, long healthy life with Hajime… watching all of his friends go through life, unburdened by Despair… but as long as Junko’s plan is stopped, he’s fine with dying for the cause.

“Ugh, who let Jataro-kun in here.” She turns her nose up as though he stinks, “Though Monaca does think you’re pretty enough to be him.”

“You know he looks fine? Even now?” He does wonder why Monaca didn’t try to escape her situation on her own, because she’s clearly too smart to live like this.

“Of course… It’s not like adults are any harder to understand than children are. She’s put that mask on him for a reason, and...” She says with a bored tone,, “Human beings aren’t naturally ugly enough to burn away your eyes. Nothing is. So the only thing Monaca can think of… His mother has a complex about her beauty, and she wants him to hide his.”

“Monaca… your friends are being abused. YOU’RE being abused… Why aren’t you doing anything about them, about you?”

“Monaca really could, huh. It would be no mean feat to escape, and have everyone escape with me… Even though Monaca is only 10, I know enough to keep us from being found. I guess you could say that was Big Sis Junko’s fault, she wants Monaca to stay here and make Mr. Monokumas.”

“She kept you in a place like this for her own selfish needs.”

“Don’t even pretend she’s the only one, Mr. Komaeda. Why are you doing what you’re doing? To make yourself feel better, and that’s it.” She thinks she has something on him, but...

“That’s how everyone does things. No one is altruistic for no reason. Even if all they get is the Hope of making someone’s lives better, they’re still doing it for themselves.” He doesn’t believe that humans will do something good for no reason, and he’s no different. He’s doing what he’s doing for other people and not himself, yes, but… ultimately, he’s doing it so he can feel good about dying. That’s it.

“Even though you won’t have much time to enjoy the world you helped save… you still want to save everything? Why? Shouldn’t you be spending your time being selfish?” Monaca’s eyes are searching his, trying to find anything that she might see as a flaw.

“I am being selfish, didn’t I just say that? My selfishness just aligns with the world’s Hope.” Junko’s own Hope is the exact opposite of his, so he battles with her.

“Even if I say I won’t help you, you’re going to rescue everyone from their terrible situation?”

“If they want me to, of course.”

“...Let me talk to this Byakuya.” She states with conviction, finally giving up in her search for imperfections, “Face to face. Big Sis Junko isn’t set to come here for another week, so you can set up a meeting this weekend, right? Somewhere not at the school too. Monaca wouldn’t want her to get suspicious. Don’t take this to mean I agree with your plans… in fact, if this meeting goes poorly, Monaca will reveal all I know to Big Sis. Once THAT happens, and she gets the information, I suspect she’ll be able to the same conclusion I have, Mr. Komaeda. I’d love for you to explain what happened, in… time.” Her grin is all knowing.

He blinks slowly. She knows. He won’t reveal any more information, but even then… If Junko hears about this, he’s ruined. Mukuro will come after him right away, and even if he gets lucky and escapes… his bad luck will come back and bite him back.

There’s nothing else to do but to hope Byakuya can play nice…

“Of course, let me just text him…”

Hopemaeda: Togami-kun. Do you know of Monaca Towa?

ByakuyaTrigami: That’s an odd question, Komaeda. Am I aware of one of the smartest roboticists in the world, who’s an illegitimate daughter of the Togami Group’s biggest rivals? Did I not make my intellect clear to you in our conversations, while I was teaching you? Do not treat me like a moron.

Hopemaeda: She wants to meet with you this weekend, alone.

ByakuyaTrigami: ...I have no idea what you’re up to, but it better be good. Tell her to meet me near the Yumenoshima Park Botanical Gardens, 4 am.

ByakuyaTrigami: Make sure she takes a trusted bodyguard. She is, after all, 10 years old… and in a wheelchair.

Hopemaeda: Understood.

Once he shows her the conversation, she pulls out her phone and puts the date into her calendar. She hasn’t gotten up from her chair at all, but it doesn’t make her less frightening. In fact, it makes her even more so. With all of his knowledge, all of his planning… he’s at her mercy. His phone pops up with another message and he stares at it.

ByakuyaTrigami: ...This is why you started talking to me in the first place, wasn’t it?

Hopemaeda: It is.

ByakuyaTrigami: Do not manipulate me again. This is my final warning, Komaeda.

Hopemaeda: Okay.

“Hah… Even Togami-san saw right through me.” He says outloud and Monaca rolls her eyes, “Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“A word of warning, Mr. Komaeda. Be overconfident, and you won’t live long enough for your brain to eat itself.” She gives him a slight, terrible grin and he shudders, “Now leave. I’m busy.”

As soon as he leaves and heads towards the elevator, however, he gets a text.

MoNACA: Here are the addresses of the Warriors. If they all agree, we will discuss things further.

He pulls it up and starts absentmindedly plotting his route, but he’s… nervous. Not about this, because if he can convince Monaca to meet with Byakuya he can convince some terrible parents to abandon their children. That meeting though. It’s part of his plan that he can’t control. The biggest advantage he has, aside from his knowledge of events, is the knowledge on how to interact with everyone. He knows what makes Byakuya tick, what makes Monaca tick. Makoto, Mikan. Heck, even Junko. What he can’t prepare is what happens with others interact.

All he can do is trust in Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh okay I'm really liking Monaca now after writing this and the next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> (also he didn't DIE, but the younger Nagito SHIFTed into the body of older Nagito... so he's real fuckin confused, lemme tell ya)


End file.
